A DEATH has been confirmed at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust in the last 24-hour.

NHS England figures show 315 people had died in hospital at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust as of 5pm on December 2.

That was an increase of one in comparison to Tuesday when the figure stood at 314.

This means there have been 20 deaths in the past week, up from 19 the previous week.

The victims were among 8,282 deaths recorded across the North West, which is the second-worst affected of England's seven NHS regions after the midlands.

Daily death counts are revised each day, with each case backdated to the actual date of death.

This means some of the deaths that were first recorded in the latest period may actually have taken place days earlier.

NHS England guidance said: "Confirmation of Covid-19 diagnosis, death notification and reporting in central figures can take up to several days and the hospitals providing the data are under significant operational pressure."

Only deaths that occur in hospitals where the patient has tested positive for Covid-19 are recorded, with deaths in the community excluded, such as those in care homes.